Criteria for choosing a post-pandemic dentist?
March 18, 2023 8:45 PM Subscribe
In my young adult life I was able to go to the same family dentist I had gone to as a child, and in the pre-pandemic world I was seeing a dentist in a different city, chosen from a much more limited list, because that's where my job was at the time. Now I'm ready to have my first post-pandemic checkup.
Long story short is that I started a new job in early 2020, and by the time my dental insurance cards came in we were already staying at home. It's 2023 and I haven't had a check-up since 2019, and I'm finally at a point where I feel I can have a stranger stick their hands in my mouth for an extended period of time.
Problem is, my job gives me coverage through Delta Dental PPO, and though I can generate a list of dentists in my zip code who are accepting new patients, I've never actually had to choose one before. The PPO website gives me names and addresses, what should I be looking for? What criteria should I be using to choose a new one? Is there a "rate my dentist" website that isn't SEO-boosting garbage? Is there a red flag I should look out for? Or am I overthinking this?
Long story short is that I started a new job in early 2020, and by the time my dental insurance cards came in we were already staying at home. It's 2023 and I haven't had a check-up since 2019, and I'm finally at a point where I feel I can have a stranger stick their hands in my mouth for an extended period of time.
Problem is, my job gives me coverage through Delta Dental PPO, and though I can generate a list of dentists in my zip code who are accepting new patients, I've never actually had to choose one before. The PPO website gives me names and addresses, what should I be looking for? What criteria should I be using to choose a new one? Is there a "rate my dentist" website that isn't SEO-boosting garbage? Is there a red flag I should look out for? Or am I overthinking this?
After a few so-so dental experiences, I chose my dentist because he had copious glowing reviews on Yelp. I have found he is as wonderful as they said he was. (If you are in SF I’d be happy to refer you.)
While online reviews can be misleading (or fraudulent), having such a resounding online fan club is a very good sign. I find that Yelp reviewers tend to be on the picky side, compared to some other sites, which can be helpful, too, when trying to separate wheat and chaff.
posted by reren at 9:42 PM on March 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
While online reviews can be misleading (or fraudulent), having such a resounding online fan club is a very good sign. I find that Yelp reviewers tend to be on the picky side, compared to some other sites, which can be helpful, too, when trying to separate wheat and chaff.
posted by reren at 9:42 PM on March 18, 2023 [1 favorite]
I have been to many dentists over the years.
Things I look for:
- Dentists who are FAGD or MAGD certified
- Dentists who know what "minimum intervention dentistry" is. Dentists who consider themselves conservative in the sense of wanting to conserve tooth
- Dentists who know about things like SDF* and remineralizing alternatives to drill-and-fill
- "Covid cautious" doesn't mean much. We went out of our way to a covid-cautious dentist last fall (masks required, etc.) and there was literally a couple making out in the waiting room.
- Does this dentist have a solid and legitimate record of bad reviews on a review site? Definitely picking somewhere else.
Also by the way:
- Personal recommendations from people you know are useless in my experience, most people I've asked seemed to be more interested in the ambiance than the quality of the dentistry.
- I have had surprisingly good luck with cosmetic dentists. I don't care how my teeth look, I just want them to be healthy. But for some reason, I'll get a good dentist and then it turns out they're a cosmetic dentist.
- In the US, dentists get super excited about expensive technology but I think they're barking up the wrong tree. "Look at all my fancy equipment" is not one of my main factors in choosing a dentist.
Bonus: treating cavities - "pick your poison"
Treating cavities is better than not treating cavities. But the options aren't great:
- Amalgam fillings are like 50% mercury. Your teeth are connected to the rest of your body. The dental industry says it's fine no problem, but how about let's just treat the material before it gets installed and then the fillings before you're cremated like they're hazardous waste, here's the debate on wikipedia Amalgam fillings expand slightly over time and your tooth is more likely to crack.
- Composite fillings wick plastic into your tooth until they've hardened. Composite fillings shrink over time and you are more likely to lose a filling due to rot around the edges.
I like these options better, where available:
- * SDF (silver diamine fluoride) is typically covered by insurance. It turns your cavities and only your cavities black. It has to be reapplied every 6-12 months. It strengthens the weakened tooth. It has been used for decades in other countries around the world, but is new-ish to the US. It means less drilling away of good tooth and filling. It is mainly offered for deciduous teeth on children, because dentists are afraid that people will care more about how they look than the health of their teeth. I remember the first time a dentist painted SDF onto some non-structural cavities. I braced for drilling. The drilling, of course, never came. They were done in 5 minutes, my teeth protected and intact.
- I just learned about the existence of remineralization applications that can be used as an alternative to fillings in some cases, but I don't know the details. Dentists who are doing this are probably hard to find, but precious if you can get one.
posted by aniola at 9:43 PM on March 18, 2023 [8 favorites]
Things I look for:
- Dentists who are FAGD or MAGD certified
- Dentists who know what "minimum intervention dentistry" is. Dentists who consider themselves conservative in the sense of wanting to conserve tooth
- Dentists who know about things like SDF* and remineralizing alternatives to drill-and-fill
- "Covid cautious" doesn't mean much. We went out of our way to a covid-cautious dentist last fall (masks required, etc.) and there was literally a couple making out in the waiting room.
- Does this dentist have a solid and legitimate record of bad reviews on a review site? Definitely picking somewhere else.
Also by the way:
- Personal recommendations from people you know are useless in my experience, most people I've asked seemed to be more interested in the ambiance than the quality of the dentistry.
- I have had surprisingly good luck with cosmetic dentists. I don't care how my teeth look, I just want them to be healthy. But for some reason, I'll get a good dentist and then it turns out they're a cosmetic dentist.
- In the US, dentists get super excited about expensive technology but I think they're barking up the wrong tree. "Look at all my fancy equipment" is not one of my main factors in choosing a dentist.
Bonus: treating cavities - "pick your poison"
Treating cavities is better than not treating cavities. But the options aren't great:
- Amalgam fillings are like 50% mercury. Your teeth are connected to the rest of your body. The dental industry says it's fine no problem, but how about let's just treat the material before it gets installed and then the fillings before you're cremated like they're hazardous waste, here's the debate on wikipedia Amalgam fillings expand slightly over time and your tooth is more likely to crack.
- Composite fillings wick plastic into your tooth until they've hardened. Composite fillings shrink over time and you are more likely to lose a filling due to rot around the edges.
I like these options better, where available:
- * SDF (silver diamine fluoride) is typically covered by insurance. It turns your cavities and only your cavities black. It has to be reapplied every 6-12 months. It strengthens the weakened tooth. It has been used for decades in other countries around the world, but is new-ish to the US. It means less drilling away of good tooth and filling. It is mainly offered for deciduous teeth on children, because dentists are afraid that people will care more about how they look than the health of their teeth. I remember the first time a dentist painted SDF onto some non-structural cavities. I braced for drilling. The drilling, of course, never came. They were done in 5 minutes, my teeth protected and intact.
- I just learned about the existence of remineralization applications that can be used as an alternative to fillings in some cases, but I don't know the details. Dentists who are doing this are probably hard to find, but precious if you can get one.
posted by aniola at 9:43 PM on March 18, 2023 [8 favorites]
YMMV depending on what you value. I'd start off by finding the 1-3 practices most convenient to my house or place of work. After that I'd look at their website or I might walk past the building to suss out the vibe. I'd go with an established family or community practice that looks clean, tidy, efficient and low-frills, rather than one that looks like a big chain that spends a lot of money on graphic design and siphons profits to its parent company instead of spending money on salaries. While I was on their website I'd see what they say about Covid-safe practices. Last time I was at the dentist, they told me dentists had pretty universally adopted some small standard changes to their routines that made transmission some huge amount less likely. Then I'd make an appointment and see if they tried to bully me into any pushy upselling, and if they did, I wouldn't go back.
posted by happyfrog at 9:54 PM on March 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by happyfrog at 9:54 PM on March 18, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have quite a lot of medical anxiety, so I made the process as simple for myself as possible. Particularly since I hadn't had a proper checkup in close to twenty years and have a medical condition that makes dental care challenging.
I lobbed a request for recommendations on my town's Facebook group, specifically mentioning that I'm not keen on dentists. One of the recommended dentists is a small office a short walk from my home, so I popped over in person and asked a few questions of the front desk staff.
The dentist himself was between appointments, so he came out and answered questions as well. He was super reassuring. "If I scare you or scold you, you won't come back. Why would I want that?"
It's been successful, my checkup and subsequent fillings went very well.
So my suggestion is to check providers and see if anyone is convenient to your home enough that you can pop by.
posted by champers at 3:45 AM on March 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
I lobbed a request for recommendations on my town's Facebook group, specifically mentioning that I'm not keen on dentists. One of the recommended dentists is a small office a short walk from my home, so I popped over in person and asked a few questions of the front desk staff.
The dentist himself was between appointments, so he came out and answered questions as well. He was super reassuring. "If I scare you or scold you, you won't come back. Why would I want that?"
It's been successful, my checkup and subsequent fillings went very well.
So my suggestion is to check providers and see if anyone is convenient to your home enough that you can pop by.
posted by champers at 3:45 AM on March 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Figure out what constitutes good care for you and find people who provide it. That includes figuring out what your actual needs are.
Have you got the sort of teeth people can take liberties with? Few cavities, even if you don’t floss daily? Perhaps you were told you can go for a year between check-ups as opposed to six months? Or are you the kind of person who has to dedicate significant time and effort to dental care and still has to come in for a cleaning more frequently than standard and who has frequent cavities?
That makes a difference as to what dentist you need. I fall in the first category and I picked my practice purely based on location and the fact that they can be relied on to have appointments with the hygienist in the evening or on Saturdays so I don’t have to take time out of my working day to get my teeth cleaned. I don’t really need to see the dentist much because I’ve never had a cavity in my life and I am in my forties.
I had a baby tooth that remained into adulthood break off biting into a nut in my early 20s.That included fillings that kept coming loose every few years and eventually extraction and an implant. When that became something that needed to happen I found a dental surgeon affiliated with a different practice.
But as a rule, I don’t care how they treat cavities. I just go in to see the hygienist and every now and then the dental surgeon so he can check all is well with the implant. I see somebody else entirely to get my teeth whitened.
But if you have troublesome teeth and require regular treatment as opposed to cleanings, then yes, you do need a dentist whose philosophy of care works for you and your teeth.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:00 AM on March 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Have you got the sort of teeth people can take liberties with? Few cavities, even if you don’t floss daily? Perhaps you were told you can go for a year between check-ups as opposed to six months? Or are you the kind of person who has to dedicate significant time and effort to dental care and still has to come in for a cleaning more frequently than standard and who has frequent cavities?
That makes a difference as to what dentist you need. I fall in the first category and I picked my practice purely based on location and the fact that they can be relied on to have appointments with the hygienist in the evening or on Saturdays so I don’t have to take time out of my working day to get my teeth cleaned. I don’t really need to see the dentist much because I’ve never had a cavity in my life and I am in my forties.
I had a baby tooth that remained into adulthood break off biting into a nut in my early 20s.That included fillings that kept coming loose every few years and eventually extraction and an implant. When that became something that needed to happen I found a dental surgeon affiliated with a different practice.
But as a rule, I don’t care how they treat cavities. I just go in to see the hygienist and every now and then the dental surgeon so he can check all is well with the implant. I see somebody else entirely to get my teeth whitened.
But if you have troublesome teeth and require regular treatment as opposed to cleanings, then yes, you do need a dentist whose philosophy of care works for you and your teeth.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:00 AM on March 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I felt weird recommending Yelp but that's how I've always found dentists too. The trick with dentists is not only do people have different needs but they also have really different preferences. Some people like a dentist who always has the latest equipment. Some people are looking for someone very focused on cosmetics. Some are looking for someone experienced with dental trauma. Some are looking for someone very conservative about interventions. I found that my colleagues were looking for something very different in a dentist than I was, so their recommendations weren't that useful. But people who love a dentist REALLY love them and tend to be specific in their reviews about why.
posted by potrzebie at 9:01 AM on March 19, 2023
posted by potrzebie at 9:01 AM on March 19, 2023
phunniemee has posted on this topic before, in sync with aniola’s comment about MAGD/FAGD.
posted by daisyace at 9:29 AM on March 19, 2023
posted by daisyace at 9:29 AM on March 19, 2023
I've gotten good dentists from personal recommendations from parents. As in, did their child have a good dentist experience? Was a filling positive, ok, scary, or painful? Yes, I'm an adult, but I want a kind dentist who is going to give me topical numbing before the giant novacaine shot and who will keep giving me more novacaine if I can still feel cold.
And I have noped out of a practice after a cleaning hurt.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 10:01 AM on March 19, 2023
And I have noped out of a practice after a cleaning hurt.
posted by Ms Vegetable at 10:01 AM on March 19, 2023
Specifically with regard to Delta Dental PPO, it may be that you can go to many dentists and have your treatment fully reimbursed, or it may be that if you do not go to a dentist on their list they will pay a pittance and leave you with a big bill. It all depends on the specifics of your plan, and they don't make it obvious, but any dental office should be able to find out which of these is the case.
posted by alexei at 5:13 PM on March 19, 2023
posted by alexei at 5:13 PM on March 19, 2023
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